Spectral Analysis of Fireflies

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10 year-old Ben Carter of Nashville, Tennessee, was curious about the light given off by a firefly. Ben has inherited his natural curiosity and love of science from his father, Vernier consultant David Carter. Ben borrowed his dad’s Vernier Spectrometer and used it to capture the emission spectra of the fireflies. It took a lot of patience and a bit of luck to capture the data. Ben wanted to be sure to note that no fireflies were harmed in doing this experiment.